Sports Illustrated ranks Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić No. 8 in NBA Top 100

The Denver Nuggets’ depth was the impetus behind its impressive 54-win season in 2018-19. Sports Illustrated certainly took notice as it named the team’s core of Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Paul Millsap in its top 100 rankings.  Harris came in at 48, Millsap 43rd, Murray 38th and Jokić cracked the top 10, as he was ranked No. 8. Here’s what Rob Mahoney wrote about each Nuggets player in the well-respected publication:  Harris No. 48: “In a league where even the most rudimentary two-way wings have value, those who move and cut like Harris can elevate an entire offense.” “Millsap No. 43: “Millsap still has an incredibly pronounced effect on team defense and picks up assignments his teammates can’t handle… Millsap does have the kind of defense-and-playmaking combo skill set that smooths out the wrinkles in execution on both ends. There’s no one frame of reference to understand what Millsap brings to a team. It’s a matter of overlaying lens upon lens to bring every feature into focus.” Murray No. 38: “Was there a ballsier performance in the playoffs than Jamal Murray’s? It takes real will for a 22-year-old to miss a potential game-winner in his playoff debut, brick every shot through the first three quarters of the following game, and then rattle off 21 points (on 8-of-9 shooting) in the fourth quarter to even the series.” Jokic No. 8: “This is what the real deal looks like. Jokić is effective from the arc, from the elbows, from the post, and everywhere in between. The scope of his game works as a stress test for opposing bigs. Most players are comfortable defending in some spaces and out of their depth in others. A creator like Jokić has the power to drown them in their weaknesses.” To read the full assessment of each player along with the rest of Top 100 rankings, click here.